Apparatus for dispensing stamps



7 Feb. 3, 1959 G. CLOSE 2,871,939

APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING STAMPS Filed Dec. 26, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet lililllllllllilIII!llllllllfillllmlllllilllllll"kn.

F/G. 2 r INVENTOR GARTH CLOS'E EL MLJR ATTORNEY Feb. 3, 1959 G. CLOSE2,871,939

APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING STAMPS INVENTOR GAR TH CLOSE ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent 2,871,939 APPARATUS FOR Dis'fENsiNG sTAMr-s GarthClse,Li1bliock, Tex. Application December 26, 1956, seems 650.701 7Claims. (01; 164- 43) The present invention relates to a device forfacilitating the distribution of stamps stored in roll form and'isparticularly useful for distributing trade stamps issued by merchants inproportion to the amount of a sales transaction.

it has been the practice with some merchants over th years to deliver,with purchases of merchandise, stamps which are refundable for items ofvalue. Such trade stamps are usually in sheet form and are stored injuntaposed or superimposed relationship adjacent the cash register. Theclerk after making a sale then computes the number of stamps to whichthe customer is entitled; It is then necessary to tear the perforatedsheets so as to deliver to the customer the proper number of stamps.Such steps are time-consuming and tedious in that the stamps are smalland in haste there is often m'iscalculation of the stamps to which thecustomer is entitled.

An object of the present invention is to provide ap: paratus which maybe readily manufactured and which is reliable for facilitating thehandling of trade stamps and to provide a mechanism wherein the numberof stamps to which the customer is entitled may be readily determined tothereby reduce the loss of stampsthr'o'ugh miscalculation or'carelessness.

A further object of the invention is to provideap'paratus fordistributing stamps frorri a's upply stored inroll form wherein a givennumber to be issued is readily determined and to provide themechanismwithaneans for severing the stamps from the rollby,m'anipulation of the hand which withdraws the stamps from the roll;

Another object of the inventio'ii'is to providea manta: nisrn over whichthe stampsin strip fonn are arranged andsevered by a cutter mechanismwhich isset ino er ation by applying pressureto a portion of theapparatus over which the stamps are arranged;

Other objects and feature of the inventionwill' be appreciated" andbecome apparent as the" present disclosure proceeds and uponconside'rationof" the accompanying drawings and the following detailed descriptionwhereinan embodiment of the invention is disclosed. 1

In the drawings: I

Fig. l is a perspective view of adevice "e'xhibitihgthe invention andillustrating the manner in'which stamps are arranged in position to becut from the strip. Q

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in'Fig. 1 withportions broken away to illustrate con cealetl parts.

Fig. 3 is a plan view.

Fig. 4'is anexplodetl perspective view'. w v Referring to'the drawingsthere is shown at Illa" base member for the device whichrriay'beformedoflsheet material such as'metal. The basenicrhherfisdesirably' of rectangular trough shape as best strewn in Fig. 4. Apadll may be-pro'vide'd at each ofthe four corners of the'base memberand these pads rria""b""" f 'i'esilieiit construction whereby the devicemay be supponea a polished fiat surface such as indicated at 12 in Fig.2.

The base is provided along its sides with upstanding flanges 14 and 16.A hole 17 is provided through the flange 16 near the end of the basemember as shown in Fig. 4 and this hole is horizontally aligned. with asimilar hole (not shown) intheffiange 14. The base member carries endflanges 18 and 19 which .while not being'essential serve to join theside flanges 14 and 16 and thus reinforce the structure of the basemember.

. The apparatus includes a chassis member 20 which is adapted tooverlie. the base member and is mounted for relative movements withrespect thereto as hereinafter described. The chassis member may beformed of sheet material such as metal 'and'prov'ided with a plateportion 21 arranged in a single plane. A flange 22 (Fig. 3) depends fromone side of the plate portion 21and a similar flange 23 extendsdownwardly from the other side of the plate portion. The transversedistance between the inner faces of .the flanges 22 and 23 is greaterthan the corresponding dimension between the outer surfaces of theflanges 14 and 16 so that the chassis member may overlie the base memberin a telescoping relationship.

A housing 25 iscarried by the chassis member 20 and it is of arcuateform. The'housing may be formed of sheet'material and its end walls 26and 27 are flush with the side flanges 22 and 23. The housing may beformed of separate parts and secured to the chassis member in anydesired manner. The housing is 'provided with a removable lid 23 so thatstamps in roll form may be stored Within the housing. A depending flange2'9is carried by the chassis member and aportion3tl of the removableliddepends below the plane of the plate portion 21. The flange 29 and thedepending portion 30 of the lid are spaced from each other suflicientlyto permit lengthwise movement of the chassis member 2%) relative to thebase member 10 and the purpose thereof will be appreciated as thedisclosure proceeds. The chassis member 20 and the housiiig 25 when inan assembled relation overlie and virtually conceal the base member asshown in Fig. 1. I

The free end or leading edge of the stamps in roll form is fed through aslot 31 provided by a portion of the housing 25 adjacent the uppersurface of the plate 21550 that the stamps may be withdrawn from thehousing to overlie the upper surface ofthe chassis memberZ d. A pad 32formed of yieldable material such as felt is mounted on a plate 33 (Fig.4) and this plate is supported by resilient straps 34 on the base member10. The upper surface of the pad is adapted to engage the under surfaceof the stamps in the vicinity of the slot fil and thereby serves toprevent the free end portion of the stamps from inadvertently creepingback into the housing and beyond the reach of an operator.

The invention includes means for actuation of a cutter for the stampswithdrawn from the housing 25. Such means includes a cutter bar 36having a length slightly greater than the transverse dimensions of theplate 21. The knife edge of the cutter bar may be sharpened and serratedif desired. The cutter bar is supported by' two arms 37 and 38 each ofwhich is provided with two openings 39 and 41 in ends thereof as" showniii Fig; 4. A pin 42 is adapted to extend through the openings 41 in thearms 37 and 38 and through the horizontal aligned openings 17 in theupstandingflariges 14 and 16 of the base member. A similar pin 43 (Fig.4) extends through the openings 39 in the armsi 37 and 38 and throughhoriZontally aligned opeiiing'sin tlfe depending flanges 22 and 23 ofthe chassis member. A transverse groove 46 is provided in the up er faceof the chassis member for receiving the knife edge of the cutter bar 36.The groove 46 may be filled 3 with some yieldable material to preventdulling of the knife edge of the cutter bar when moving thereinto in astamp severing operation.

The invention includes means for actuating the cutter bar 36 and movingit downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1 when aforce is appliedto the chassis member so as to move it relative to the base'member. Themeans for shifting the chassis member relative to the base memberincludes a spring structure shown generally at 50 in Fig. 4. This springstructure may be formed of circular metal stock having resilientcharacteristics and includes a central portion 51 which is securelyanchored to the base memberltl by means of a plurality of clips 52. Theintermediate portion of this spring structure remains in fixedrelationship with respect to the base. Aligned shaft portions 53 extendin opposite directions from the intermediate portion. These shaftportions are maintained in position by means of bearing brackets 54. Acrank arm 56 extends from the free end of each shaft portion 53 andthese crank arms terminate in aligned horizontally extending pinportions 57. The pin portions 57 are accommodated in holes 61 in thedepending flanges 22 and 23 one of which is shown in Fig. 4.

The top face of the plate portion 21 of the chassis member is providedwith index lines to facilitate the determination of the number of stampsthe customer is entitled to for a purchase. The stamps are preferablystored in two rolls in the housing 25. One roll may consist of a stripnumbering five stamps in width as shown in Fig. 1 while the other rollconsist of a strip numbering one stamp in width.

In operation and when it is desired to dispense stamps for a purchaseamounting to one dollar and fifty cents the free end of the larger rollof stamps is withdrawn in the direction of the arrow 71 in Fig. 1 untilthe leading edge is aligned with the transverse line marked 1.50. Thismay be accomplished by the index finger of the sales person asillustrated in Fig. 1. The rear portion of the palm of thehand is thenapplied with force to the face of the plate portion 21 so as to urge theassociated portion of the chassis member 20 downwardly. The resilientcharacteristics of the spring structure 50 resists such movement but theouter ends of the shaft portions 53 turn relative to the fixed midportion of the spring structure. This causes the trunnion or pinportions 57 to swing about the aligned axes of the shaft portions 53.Thus when the chassis member 20 is moved from the position shown in Fig.2 to a depressed position the chassis member 20 moves downwardly andalso moves linearly with respect to the base member 10 and in thedirection of the arrow 73 (Fig. 2). Such movement causes the pin 43 tobe moved in the direction of the arrow 74 (Fig. 2) and the two arms 37and 38 pivot about the pin 42 and the cutter bar 36 is moved downwardlyand severs the stamps as the knife edge enters the groove 46. The stampsstored in the roll form numbering one stamp in width may be similarlywithdrawn from the housing so that the leading edge 76 thereof may bemoved until it is aligned with an index graduation in ten cents markingson the plate 21 which may represent a part of the sale price. When theforce depressing the chassis 10 is relieved the spring structure 50returns the chassis member to the elevated position shown in full linesin Fig. 2 when the cutter bar is shifted to the inactive position.

While the invention has been described with reference to the particularassembly it will be appreciated that changes may be made in the elementsas well as in the overall organization. Such modifications and othersmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionas set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus for dispensing stamps, a base member, a chassis memberoverlying said base member having an member, and means for shifting thechassis member longitudinally of the base member upon movement of thechassis member towards the base member to move the cutter bar to aposition to sever the stamps.

2. In apparatus for dispensing stamps, a base member, a chassis memberoverlying said base member having an upper surface arranged in a singleplane, a housing carried by the chassis member, means providing a slotbetween said surface and the housing through which stamps in sheet formmay be withdrawn from the housing to overlie said upper surface, acutter bar including arms pivotally attached to the base member andpivotally attached to the chassis member, and means for moving thechassis member longitudinally of the base member upon movement of thechassis member towards the base member to swing said arms and the cutterbar towards said upper surface.

3. Apparatus for dispensnig stamps comprising, a base member, a chassismember overlying said base member, an upper surface on said chassismember arranged in a single plane, a housing for storing a sheet ofstamps in roll form, means providing a slot adjacent said upper surfacethrough which said sheet may be withdrawn from the housing to overliesaid upper surface, a bar having a cutting edge directed towards saidupper surface, arms supporting said bar, a pin pivotally connecting freeends of said arms to said chassis member, a pin connecting free ends ofsaid arms to said base member, and spring means including a crank armhaving a trunnion portion pivotally connected to said chassis member anda portionsecured to the base member so that upon movement of the chassismember towards the base member the chassis is shifted longitudinally tobodily swing the first pin about the axis of the second pin to move saidcutting edge towards said upper surface.

4. Apparatus for dispensing stamps comprising, a base member, a chassismember overlying said base member, an upper surface on said chassismember arranged in a single plane, a housing for storing a sheet ofstamps in roll form, means providing a slot adjacent said upper surfacethrough which said sheet may be withdrawn from the housing to overliesaid upper surface, a bar having a cutting edge directed towards saidupper surface, arms supporting said bar, a pin pivotally connecting freeends of said arms to said chassis member, a pin connecting free ends ofsaid arms to said base member, a spring structure having an intermediateportion secured to said base member, aligned shaft portions extendingfrom said intermediate portion each having resilient characteristics intorsion so that enter ends thereof may be rotated relative to innerportions, an inclined crank arm carried by the outer end of each shaftportion terminating in a pin, and means pivotally connecting each pin tosaid chassis member.

5. Apparatus for dispensing stamps comprising, a base member of troughshape, a chassis member overlying said base member in telescopingrelationship, an upper surface on said chassis member arranged in asingle plane, a housing for storing a sheet of stamps in roll form,means providing a slot adjacent said upper surface through which thesheet may be withdrawn from the housing to overlie said upper surface,means releasably holding the sheet in a withdrawn position, a bar havinga cutting edge directed towards said upper surface, arms suppolting saidbar, a pin pivotally connecting free ends of said arms to said chassismember, a pin connecting free ends of said arms to said base member, aninclined crank arm having a trunnion portion pivotally connected to saidchassis memher, and resilient means secured to said base memberresisting swinging movement of said crank arm whereby movement of thechassis member towards the base member bodily swing the first pin aboutthe axis of the second pin to move said cutting edge towards said uppersurface.

6. Apparatus for dispensing stamps comprising, a base member of troughshape having upstanding flanges along sides thereofla chassis memberhaving depending flanges along sides thereof overlying said base memberin telescoping relationship, an upper surface on said chassis memberarranged in a single plane, a housing for storing a sheet of stamps inroll form which may be withdrawn from the housing to overlie said uppersurface, a bar having a cutting edge directed towards said uppersurface, arms supporting said bar, a pin pivotally connecting free endsof said arms to said depending flanges, a pin connecting free ends ofsaid arms to said upstanding flanges, a spring structure having anintermediate portion secured to said base member, aligned shaft portionsextending from said intermediate portion and having resilient torsionalcharacteristics so that outer ends thereof may be rotated relative toinner portions, a crank arm carried by the outer end of each shaftportion terminating in pins pivotally connected to said dependingflanges.

7. Apparatus for dispensing stamps comprising, a base member, a chassismember overlying said base member, an upper surface on said chassismember arranged in a single plane, a housing for storing a sheet ofstamps in roll form, means providing a slot adjacent said upper surfacethrough which said sheet may be withdrawn from the housing to overliesaid upper surface, a bar having a cutting edge directed towards saidupper surface, arms supporting said bar, a pin pivotally connecting freeends of said arms to said chassis member, a pin connecting free ends ofsaid arms to said base member, spring means including a crank arm havinga trunnion portion pivotally connected to said chassis member and aportion secured to the base member so that upon movement of the chassismember towards the base member the chassis is shifted longitudinally tobodily swing the first pin about the axis of the second pin to move saidcutting edge towards said upper surface, and said chassis member havinga groove for receiving the cutting edge of said bar.

References (Zited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,247,750 Dohnal July 1, 1941 2,351,093 Beckley June 13, 1944 2,380,267Ruth July 10, 1945

